Daily life in the occupied Palestinian territories — in pictures

Daily life in the occupied Palestinian territories — in pictures

Photographer David Levene spent a week touring the occupied Palestinian territories with
Oxfam.org to find out more about the obstacles faced by ordinary people, as well as about their hopes for the future

Saturday 17 September 2011 11.54 EDT
First published on Saturday 17 September 2011 11.54 EDT

Mohammed, 38, from Al Fakheet, slaughters a goat as his son watches. Mohammed says: 'I once saw on the news that the government of Israel gives money to their farmers. I want my government to help farmers, too'

Hajah herds her sheep. Al Fakheet, home to 15 families who are dependent on herding to sustain their livelihood, is located in Area C of the West Bank, where Israel maintains military and civil control

Yasser lives in Al Fakheet with his mother, Fatmeh, his wife, Hajah, and their seven children. He says: 'I live in Area C, so the Palestinian Authority can't come here. I need a government that can protect me, I need help to support my family. If a state means that the government can help me, then it s a good thing. If not, nothing will change'

Basem Ja'abari, 18, from East Jerusalem, is learning a range of professions but doesn't yet know what he wants to do with his life. His family's home was recently demolished. He says: 'In the future, I just want to be able to stay in my own house and not have to worry'

Badia Dwaik, co-founder of the group Youth Against Settlements and a tour guide for the Israeli human rights group Btselem, is leading a campaign to open Shuhada Street. Once the heart of Hebron's economic and social activity, the street is now accessible only to settlers. 'I don’t want a Palestinian state that is isolated from Israel or vice versa. We are all equal'

Hamdi Dwaik owns a small bakery in the old city of Hebron, which has become a ghost town due to the closure of Shuhada Street. He says: 'How can we think of a state when our lives are controlled by checkpoints from Hebron to Jerusalem?'

Noor Al Aqra, 25, has her passport checked at the Palestinian checkpoint, Istarha border crossing in Jericho. Noor is from Nablus but now lives in Amman with her husband. She says travelling back to visit family is very hard

Fadi Owaiwa came to the Istarha border crossing to pick up his mother, Zakia, sisters, Rose and Rawan, and nieces and nephews, Hatem, Alma, and Hanan, who were visiting family in Jordan. 'I don't know if a state will make travelling easier but of course we dream to have our own state, to be independent and free,' he says

Mazen Saadeh, 51, lives in Bir Zeit, West Bank. The artist, novelist and restaurant owner says: 'I didn't choose my Palestinian identity. I lived in different countries. I came back to Palestine but discovered it's not my Palestine, my Palestine is behind a wall'

With high unemployment rates, many young Palestinians are not optimistic about the future. Moaz Dabbagh, 16, from East Jerusalem, hopes that classes at the Al Itam vocational school will help him to find steady work in carpentry

Muna Mushahwar, 33, lives in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem. She is a doctor at Hadassa Hospital, West Jerusalem. 'We just want our human rights, to have a country and our land, and to be able to say "I am a Palestinian" and not feel threatened'